-LRB- CNN -RRB- Most companies in South Korea have hoesik at least once a month and sometimes every week .

Literally , this means dinner with co-workers .

In practice , it means official eating/drinking fests involving multiple rounds of alcohol at multiple venues .

For the foreign business traveler , using foreignness as an excuse to bow out of the action only goes so far .

The pressure to participate is intense .

Drinking etiquette is the first thing you teach foreign guests , '' says Bryan Do , a Korean-American director at the South Korean branch of a U.S. company .

`` It was shocking when I first arrived in Korea .

`` My boss was a graduate of Korea University -LSB- renowned for its hardy drinking culture -RSB- and at my first hoesik , we started out with everyone filling a beer glass with soju , and downing it on the spot . That was just the beginning . ''

For Koreans , drinking is considered a way to get to know what someone is really like .

`` I did n't really like it in the beginning , '' says Charles Lee , a Korean-Canadian who came to Seoul to work for a South Korean company . `` I was like , ` Why are you making me drink something when I do n't want to ? ' But once I understood the meaning behind it , I appreciated it more .

`` There are just some things you ca n't say at work or talk about over lunch -- people who talk about work at lunch are losers . But when someone offers you a glass of soju , it 's an invitation that means that they want to listen to you .

`` I thought Koreans were impersonal before I drank with them , so the whole context is important . ''

Drinking is such a big part of Korean life that Seoul traffic is said to correspond with the city 's drinking culture .

Mondays are a big night for hoesik , so there are fewer cars during evening rush hour , as most office workers leave them at work so they can go drinking .

Tuesdays are a rest day , while Wednesday and Thursday nights are also big nights for company drinking .

Fridays have the worst evening traffic , as everyone is taking their cars home to use with their families over the weekend .

So how do you avoid offending someone -LRB- worst of all , a superior or client -RRB- at a Korean drinking extravaganza ?

Follow these seven handy rules .

Koreans always identify the `` higher '' person in the relationship , and defer to them accordingly .

One of the first things Koreans often ask when meeting someone new is their age .

Even someone just a year older is afforded a language of respect , though age is always superseded by a higher position .

It 's considered rude for anyone to have an empty glass .

If a senior person is pouring -- this usually pertains to hard liquor only -- others should n't drink until someone has poured the senior a shot .

After all glasses are full , everyone says `` Gunbae ! '' and chugs -- usually `` one-shotting '' the entire glass in one go .

While downing alcohol , you should turn your body away from senior figures so that your body visually blocks your drinking action from your senior .

Always hold bottles or shot glasses with both hands .

By raising your glass or pouring alcohol with one hand , you are establishing yourself as a senior person .

If you 're not , well , you 've just breached protocol .

It 's always a good idea to find out people 's drinking habits beforehand .

It should n't be difficult to find out what people like to drink or how they behave when intoxicated .

Hoesik usually involves changing venues for a different type of alcohol -- i.e. , round one is dinner , accompanied by beer , round two is soju , round three is for whiskey , and so on .

Be ready for each .

Unless you have an airtight reason , refusing alcohol is considered a mood killer and deemed rude .

Sorry , but `` I do n't like soju '' does n't qualify as a good reason not to punish your liver . Neither would `` I 've been on the wagon for three years . ''

In fact , unless you 're pregnant or already puking , what might be a `` good reason '' not to imbibe elsewhere often wo n't fly here .

It 's generally best to accept and discreetly get rid of unwanted alcohol -LRB- under the table , into your water cup , out the window -RRB- than to refuse it .

One of the most popular venues in Korea for business drinking is the karaoke bar .

Koreans love singing , as evidenced by the country 's staggering number of karaoke bars , as well as the rush of audition programs on Korean television .

Your companions wo n't rest until you sing .

They 'll coax , threaten , push and cajole until you finally take that mic .

Be prepared to crack under the immense peer pressure .

If you simply can not take any more , you can call a black knight -LRB- male -RRB- or a black rose -LRB- female -RRB- to your rescue .

This entails a person of your choosing drinking your glass for you , but it also means they get a wish .

As in , you might soon wish you 'd just taken that last shot as you 're spelling your name out with your butt in front of your client .

Bottoms up .

Christopher Cha is a Korean-American writer based in Seoul .

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Hoesik is the Korean tradition of eating and drinking together

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